Myth: A “Gluten-Free” Label Means A Product Is Healthy

barberocaico (57)in #life • 6 years ago

The topic of gluten is huge and will be mentioned many more times in future blog posts. Please realize that while I support minimal to no consumption of gluten in ones diet, I also support that product manufacturers be honest with their labeling. Using “gluten free” on packaging is one of the biggest fads that bothers me. It would be fine if people knew how to read labels and were knowledgeable enough to protect themselves from the rest of the harm that could be there in place of the gluten, however most do not and are misled.

Unquestioned and Blindly Followed Truths

It says “Gluten Free” on the label so it’s healthy. It says “Wheat Free” on the label so that can’t harm me. Eating a gluten free diet will make you lose weight, try it! I eat gluten free so no matter what I eat is healthy. Oh I can’t buy this one, it doesn’t say gluten free on it. Hey this has GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms) in it but it says gluten free is it alright to eat? – Absolutely! If a label says gluten free on it that means that it doesn’t have anything unhealthy in it. I’m looking at the gluten free menu so my meal will be healthier than yours from the normal menu (could be). As long as I am eating gluten free like my doctor or trainer told me to then that means I can eat gluten free cookies, pies, crackers, cakes, breads, pasta, etc and still expect to get healthy and rid all of my health problems…

As long as it is gluten free it is ok with me! No further research needed.

Not So Fast!

I remember a time when I was ignorant to what gluten is. I had no idea about the health effects/benefits for being on a diet that doesn’t include gluten. I had heard some people mention gluten free and that it was healthier so I jumped on board. Gluten free, fat free, sugar free, etc. Like most do daily, I have fallen for them all at some point. I remember being a regular consumer of a particular gluten free cereal and felt that I was being healthy at the time by eating it. I felt that as long as it said gluten free on the label that I was safe to eat it, then one day I got a little bit more educated and things changed rather quickly…

In Alan Levinovitz’s book, The Gluten Lie: And Other Myths About What You Eat, he makes a good point about gluten not even being on the mainstream radar until fairly recently, “It’s hard to believe that twenty years ago virtually no one, including health enthusiasts, had even heard of gluten. Best-selling diet books omitted it entirely.” Just as everyone else for the most part hadn’t heard of it, neither had I. Most that buy products because it says gluten free on the label, because they have heard the fad words “gluten free” somewhere and/or were told about it by someone else have no idea what they are buying. I’m all for not eating gluten, it is unhealthy for most people. I’m not all for products that have no gluten in them but also contain many other ingredients in them that could be hurting people more than the gluten would. Bit of a paradox right!?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a paradox as “a statement or situation that may be true but seems impossible or difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics.”

Labeling something as gluten free to make it appear as a health product when the product contains many other unhealthy (and just as bad as gluten or even worse) ingredients in them is one hell of a paradox. And another marketing trick to be able to charge more for a product that is not worth more, and is often made even cheaper than if gluten was in the product. Now that we’re somewhat aware of why labeling something as gluten free in a health promoting way is often a paradox, lets have a look at just a few reasons (there are very many) why this is…

Possible Bad Ingredients in Gluten Free Products

Here are just some of the possibilities of what can be in any product that is labeled as “gluten free”. Do realize that not all are listed and not all that are listed are equally as bad for everyone and some may not effect some people at all, although that is almost impossible if they’re human.

Sugar
Rancid Fats
Trans Fats
Refined Grains
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO)
MSG (Monosodium Glutamate)
Artificial Sweeteners
Denatured Proteins
Refined Salt
Food Additives

Let’s pick a random ingredient listed that is most commonly used in almost any gluten free food, lets pick refined grains! The grains that usually replace gluten in gluten free products can be any number of the following..amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat, corn, flax, millet, quinoa, rice, sorghum, soy, tapioca, and teff. Also commonly used are potatoes. Refined grains have been stripped of any health promoting substances. They are pure starches which have the same effect as sugar on the body, and are highly inflammatory and pancreas taxing. Gary Taubes in his latest book, The Case Against Sugar, sites some research that was pioneered by researchers at Oxford University in the late 1970’s in regards to refined grains in what would later be called the glycemic index, “The more refined or processed a carbohydrate, and the less fat and fiber accompanying it to slow its digestion, the greater the blood-sugar response, and thus the more insulin required to metabolize it; or, as Cleave might have phrased it, the greater the strain on the pancreas.” The glycemic index is an index of all foods and how quickly they spike ones blood sugar, when a particular food is eaten by itself. Has anyone ever heard of diabetes? If you haven’t (very rare), do a search online, theres no shortage of information about it. This is just one example of how gluten free products can very quickly lead someone down a path of ill health.

Why is Gluten Avoided Anyways?

Besides all of the marketing to promote gluten free junk foods and those who want to jump on a current diet fad there are actually numerous health benefits to avoiding gluten. It could be prescribed from a nutritionist, doctor, health coach, a caring family or friend, or of course someone spreading information online that ignites someones motive to eat this way. The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness mentions that as many as 18 million Americans may have non-celiac gluten sensitivity, there are many more than that, no doubt. So ditching the gluten makes sense. To list just a few effects of gluten when consumed…

Inflammation
Chrons Disease
Celiac Disease
IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
Food Allergies
Food Intolerances
Headaches
Arthritis
Cancer
Acne
Eczema
Other Skin Issues
Obesity
Enough Said..

Years ago I read an awesome book about gluten by James Braly and Ron Hoggan, Dangerous Grains: Why Gluten Cereal Grains May Be Hazardous To Your Health. Here is a piece out of that book that has been branded in my head for life, “If you put gluten in a petri dish with human internal organs, the gluten damages these tissues. If a gluten-sensitive individual consumes gluten, he or she runs the risk of damaging organs and tissues throughout the body.” When I first read that it was an eye opener and this is one reason why gluten should be avoided by most people. There is nothing wrong with avoiding gluten at all. It is so hard for many to stop eating it though, always wondered why that is. It makes perfect sense once you realize that gluten has a morphine like response inside the body and is very addicting. In gluten free foods the addiction is still met by the amounts of sugar and starches in these products. In fact Candace Pert in her brilliant book Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine mentions that consuming sugar is comparable to consuming a schedule 1 drug, and I agree with this from what I’ve seen with others and myself. “Relying on an artificial form of glucose—sugar—to give us quick pick-me-up is analogous to, if not as dangerous as, shooting heroin. The artificial substance is utilized by the body in the same way as the natural form, but, like a drug, it floods and desensitizes receptors, thereby interfering in the feedback loops that regulate the availability of instant energy” Think about that one next time you’re craving some fancy gluten free product. Could sugar actually be the “gateway drug”? These are only a few reasons why gluten consumption isn’t favorable for good health, incase you thought I was all for consuming it, not a chance. So it seems that either way isn’t very healthy, gluten, or gluten free products. There actually are ways to have health promoting gluten free products, and ways to lessen the health destroying effects of them if one chooses to enjoy them.

What Gluten Free Should Really Be Like

There is a picture of a haul of mine from a farmers market recently. Notice it is 100% gluten free and there is no junk. Ok let’s be a realistic, sometimes people want treats, and I’ll be honest, every now and then I do enjoy some tasty gluten free snacks, that are not very healthy. And once in a great while I will eat some gluten, and my body tells me wether or not it was a good idea, usually telling me it was a bad idea. Here are some things to look for when picking out gluten free products, and a few ways to consume them to lessen their harmful effects on the body. A few simple things to look out for…

Sugar Content
Hydrogenated Oils
Vegetable Oils
Total Fat Content (Should Be High if High Starch)
Is it Organic?
GMO Free?

And a few simple ways to lessen the harmful effects of these products if choosing to consume them…

Never Consume on Empty Stomach
Fat and Protein Source w/Products
Butter, Heavy Whipping Cream, Coconut (any other high natural fat of quality source) are Tasty and Healthy to Pair w/Products
Have a Strong Metabolism from Everyday Eating/Moving
Consume Rarely (Use as a treat, not a staple to diet)
Consider Enzyme Supplements to Help Digest

What gluten free looks like to most people…

sfs_birthday-cupcakes_0131_slide-4353dd59fef0db7dedc17fafbdb999da13a7b790-s900-c85.jpg

In closing, are most gluten free products health promoting? Nope. Are most gluten free products more expensive than they should be? Yep. Do any of them taste good? Some do. When it comes down to it we all have choices to make with everything in life. Some may choose to enjoy these products frequently, thats their choice. Some may chose to not consume them and wish that they did, thats their choice as well. And then there are some hardcore people who never will. All in all every now and then it’s a treat to try something. There are many creative recipes out there to try. Nancy Cartwright once said “Life is a paradox, you ‘re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.” I guess either way in the end it doesn’t really matter what side we are on. As long as we were able to enjoy ourselves and enjoy good health along the way. Oh, and that we were able to enjoy one more thing…NOT being fooled by marketing labels!

Awareness and vitality,

Barbero

Resources

The Gluten Lie: And Other Myths About What You Eat by Alan Levinovitz (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-gluten-lie-alan-levinovitz/1120436807)
The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes (http://garytaubes.com/works/books/the-case-against-sugar-2016/)
Dangerous Grains: Why Gluten Cereal Grains May Be Hazardous To Your Health by James Braly and Ron Hoggan (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/290978/dangerous-grains-by-james-braly/9781583331293/)
Molecules of Emotion: The Science Behind Mind-Body Medicine by Candace Pert (http://candacepert.com/store/)
National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (https://www.beyondceliac.org)

#health #fitness #nutrition #food

6 years ago in #life by barberocaico (57)

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steyn (45) 6 years ago

great writing
delicious food

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barberocaico (57) 6 years ago

Thanks, Yea the farmers market food! 💪🏽

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seha76 (63) 6 years ago

Very inspiring once about the importance of diet and health. I spent a few minutes to finish reading thoroughly to get the reading point. In addition, you write with extraordinary ability. Thank you for sharing @barberocaico!